Introduction: You might have seen a plant that looks prickly on the outside but is soft and mushy on the inside, just like many of us. Here, we are talking about Aloe vera. It is a cactus-like succulent plant that mainly grows in dryer areas of Africa, America, Europe and Asia. You can also find it growing in areas such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra in India.1

Properties of Aloe vera:
The various properties of aloe vera due to which it might be used for different purposes are:

It may soften the skin (moisturising effect)
It might act against various fungi, bacteria and viruses, and might help to stop their growth (antiseptic property)
It might have healing properties
It might have inflammation lowering potential
It might protect the skin from radiation damage
It might boost the immune system
It might have an anti-tumour (against tumour growth) action
It might act as a chemoprevention agent (prevents ill effects of cancer treatment).
It might act as a laxative
It might cause increased elasticity and might decrease the appearance of wrinkles (anti-ageing).